Various tables are known for supporting a patient for examination or for providing physical therapy. Generally the tables include a horizontal surface on which a patient lies for examination or therapy. Some such tables are simple non-mechanized tables while others may include mechanisms by which the treatment platform or supporting surface may be raised or lowered to a suitable height above the floor on which the table is placed. Some tables include one or more body support sections which together comprise the treatment platform for the table. Thus, for example, a treatment platform may comprise a head section which supports the patient's head, a thoracic section which supports the patient's shoulders and upper torso, and a pelvic section which supports the patient's hips and legs. In most such tables which include separate body support sections, one or more of these sections will be provided with an actuating mechanism, so that the section may be independently moved with respect to one or more of the other sections or with respect to the frame. These types of tables are frequently used by chiropractors for treating patients suffering from a variety of orthopedic and neuropathic maladies.
In some therapeutic treatments performed on therapeutic treatment tables, it is desirable or necessary to place the patient in a supine or face-up position on the table, and in some treatments, it is desirable or necessary to place the patient in a prone or face-down position. Frequently, tables which are adapted for treatment of a patient in a prone position will have a cut-out or recess in the head section to receive and support the patient's face. Some such tables include a removable plug section that can be inserted in the cut-out to make the table more suitable for use with a supine patient. Tables for treatment of a patient in a prone position may also include an arm support section that is fixed to the thoracic section or to the head section. However, because the prone patient's shoulders are supported on the thoracic section and his head is supported on a separate section, it may be difficult to position the arm support section in such a way that is comfortable for the patient. It would be desirable if a treatment table could be provided that would comprise an improvement in providing comfortable arm support for the prone patient.
As mentioned above, it is common for therapeutic treatment tables to have a mechanism or mechanisms for raising and lowering the treatment surface of the table with respect to the support surface or floor on which the table rests. Some of these tables include a control panel on one side with buttons or levers to actuate the raising/lowering mechanism, and others may include a crank for actuating a scissor-type jack mechanism. However, many such tables typically provide a single access point for an operator to actuate the raising/lowering mechanism. It would be desirable if an improved table could be provided that has multiple access points from which an operator can raise or lower the treatment surface of the table.
It is common for the treatment platforms of the various support sections of a treatment table to include a support board of wood, metal or plastic, a foam pad or layer, and an upper and outer layer of vinyl or other fabric. This fabric layer may comprise several pieces that are sewn together to cover the foam layer, and the fabric layer may then be fastened to or around the support board. Such construction is labor intensive to manufacture and its fabric layer is subject to cutting and tearing in use. Such cuts and tears in the fabric may reduce the comfort of the patients who are treated on the table, even if the cuts and tears are repaired. In addition, cuts and tears in the outer fabric provide sites for bacterial growth which may create an unhygienic situation. It would be desirable if a treatment platform construction could be provided that would avoid or minimize these problems.